Itinerary through Corsica Part 6

[Headnote: ZICAVO.]

From Cargiaca the road enters the valley of the Coscione and ascends through the ilex forest of Taca amidst towering mountains and vertical cliffs by the villages of Zerubia and Aullene, 2736 ft., pop. 1100; inn; 21 m. N. from Sartene. It now crosses the Coscione, 3492 ft., then the Col Vaccia, 3898 ft., and descends by the Col d'Alisandri, 3426 ft., to Zicavo, 2445 ft., with an inn, 17 m. from Aullene, 3 m. E. from the baths of Guitera, 38 m. N. from Sartene and 37 m. S. from Vivario.

From the Bocca Tinzole a road ramifies N.W. to Olivese 1460 ft., pop.

700, in the valley of the Taravo, 7 m. from Guitera by a beautiful road.

From Zicavo the road crosses the Col San Francesco, 1969 ft., to Cozzano, 40 m., pop. 900, and enters the valley of the Taravo, which it ascends by the east bank between two great mountain chains, the culminating point of the western chain being Mt. Don Giovanni 6405 ft., and that of the eastern Pointe Capella 6706 ft.

Three and a quarter miles up the valley from Cozzano a wheel road leads 1 m. E. to the Maison Forestiere of St. Antoine, whence a mule path by the Col de Rapara, 5557 ft., extends to Isolaccio and the hot baths of Pietrapola, p. 8, by a picturesque road through a beautiful part of the forest.

Four and a half miles above Cozzano is the Col Scrivano, 2959 ft., whence a mule path leads across the valley to Palneca, pop. 1050, on the wooded slopes of Mt. Pietra Cinta, 4958 ft.

A little below the summit of the Col is the Maison de Cantonniers de Scrivano.

Nine and a half miles N. from Zicavo is the bridge Argentuccia, fronting a grand semi-circle of mountains covered with n.o.ble trees. This is the commencement of the real Verde forest.

Eleven and three quarter miles from Zicavo is the Maison de Cantonniers de Ghiraldino, 3936 ft., 49 m. N. from Sartene, 2 m. S. from the Col Verde and 5 m. S. from the House of Refuge of Marmano. A little beyond the house a wheel road, left, descends into one of the finest parts of the Verde forest.

[Headnote: COL VERDE.]

Thirteen and three quarter miles from Zicavo and 51 m. from Sartene is the Col Verde, 4290 ft., with, nearly a mile distant, the Maison de Cantonniers de Marmano. Below is the forest of Marmano, with its best trees cut down, and in the neighbourhood the sources of the rivers Taravo, 5678 ft., at the Col Tisina, of the Fium Orbo, 3783 ft. under a mountain a little to the N. of the Col Verde, and of the Prunelli, 4790 ft., among a group of high mountains to the W. The Vecchio rises from the springs on Mt. Oro.

[Headnote: REFUGE DE MARMANO.]

Seventeen miles from Zicavo and 54 m. from Sartene is the Refuge de Marmano, 3182 ft., beautifully situated. Here was formerly the summer station of the Casabianda penitentiary. The escaped criminals committed such outrages that the government at the repeated pet.i.tioning of the shepherds were obliged to withdraw it. Finally Casabianda was abandoned also, and the prisoners removed to the neighbourhood of Ajaccio, where they could be well looked after.

Food and lodging may be obtained at the Maison Forestiere, or 1 m.

farther at the Maison de Cantonniers de Canareccia, 2760 ft., in the rocky defile of the Fium Orbo. Between this and Ghisoni, 6 m., 3 bridges and 2 low Cols are crossed. At the second bridge, the Pont de Ca.s.so, 4 m. from Ghisoni, are seen the great pinnacles or needles and lofty cliffs of Albuccia Point or Kyrie Eleison, 4935 ft.

From the Canaraccia the road winds its way northward along the flanks of mountains sloping down to the Orbo, which it leaves shortly before reaching

[Headnote: GHISONI.--COL SORBA.]

Ghisoni, pop. 1740, 2160 ft., 62 m. N. from Sartene, 12 m. S. from Vivario, 8 m. N. from the House of Refuge, and 24 m. N. from Zicavo.

Four m. N. from Ghisoni the road crosses the Col Scozzolatojo, 3916 ft., and 2 m. farther the Col Sorba, 4310 ft., 6 m. S. from Vivario, see p.

8. The descent from the Col Sorba into Vivario is very striking. It is effected by excessively sharp zigzags through a n.o.ble pine forest.

Between the branches tower the bold forms of Monte d'Oro, Monte Rotondo, and, in the distance, behind the uplands of Corte, the crags of Monte Traunato.

The best resting-places on this road are Zicavo, 39 m. S.E. from Ajaccio, from which it is approached by a diligence; and the pleasant village of Ghisoni, where there is a very fair inn. At Vivario there is the Hotel Voyageurs. Guides and carriages should be hired either at Sartene or Vivario, 20 frs. per day.

Ghisoni to Ghisonaccia.

18 m. S.E. Maps, pp. 1 and 27.

By the Forest road No. 5, cut for nearly 11 m. in the face of the steep cliffs which enclose the Orbo. As this road in all the dangerous parts is hardly 11 ft. wide, it is necessary to ascertain before starting in a vehicle, the position of the carts conveying the logs, and to arrange accordingly.

The road descends from Ghisoni to the Pont de Regolo, 2077 ft., where it crosses the Casapietrone, and then follows the course of the Fium Orbo, crosses the Ruello Bridge 1450 ft., and enters the Salto della Sposata 4 m. from Ghisoni, where the river flows in a narrow bed between vertical precipices, some more than 1200 ft.

high.

[Headnote: L'INZECCA.]

The road, chiselled out of these cliffs, pa.s.ses under 3 great portals. From the third is seen, through the great cleft in the rock of Inzecca, the sea at Aleria.

After this the defile opens up to close again between serpentine cliffs. It then crosses the 2 Ponts de Parabuja and the viaduct de l'Inzecca, and reaches the entrance to the Pa.s.sage de l'Inzecca, 7 m. from Ghisoni, 985 ft. above the sea, where the road is cut through great serpentine rocks. This is the most difficult part for the waggons to pa.s.s. Map, p. 27.

The plain now widens, and 8 m. from Ghisoni a branch road leads to Vezzani.

Nine and a quarter miles from Ghisoni is the Col S. Antoine, 355 ft., and 8 m. farther is Ghisonaccia, p. 32.

Sartene to Bonifacio.

33 miles south-east, by diligence; time, 6 hours.

miles from SARTeNE miles to BONIFACIO

{ }{33} SARTeNE. The road winds its way through great blocks of granite scattered on a plain studded with shrubby specimens of the ilex, towards the sh.o.r.e of the Golfo di Roccapina, with a fantastically shaped rock called il Leone Coronato. East from the gulf the road pa.s.ses the village of Pianottoli, 21 m. from Sartene, almost due south from the singular mountain l'Uomo di Cagna, 3980 ft.; then the bridge across the Figari at the head of the Gulf of Figari, 23 m.; the Col de la Testa or Scopeto, 225 ft., 24 m.; and the bridge across the Ventilegni, 27 m. from Sartene, and 6 from Bonifacio.

[Headnote: BONIFACIO.]

{33} BONIFACIO, pop. 4000. H. du Nord; France in the high town. Diligences leave daily for Bastia, Sartene, and Ajaccio. A steamer arrives every Sat.u.r.day from Ajaccio and returns on the Monday. Bonifacio was founded in 833 by the Tuscan marquis whose name it bears, to protect this part of the island against the piratical incursions of the Saracens. The high town is built on the top of a limestone rock rising vertically from the sea. The low town occupies one side of the fine natural dock, hemmed in by perpendicular cliffs with an opening of only 328 yards towards the sea. From the steamboat wharf a broad paved series of steps leads up to the high town, entering it through the Porte Vieille. In the old house fronting this Porte or gateway, Charles V., in 1541, stayed two days and a night on his return from his unsuccessful expedition against Algiers.

Overtaken by a storm, he had taken refuge in the Gulf of Santa Manza.

The door of the house, decorated with an arabesque on marble, is in the narrow side street. In the Place d'Armes are the church of San Domenico, built by the Templars, characterised by its octagonal tower with an embrasured termination; and the great tower "Torrione," part of the fortifications built by the marquis, and formerly the most important part of the citadel. Near this tower is the flight of steps "Redragon,"

cut in the rock by the Genoese, which descends by 202 steps to the sea.

The small room over the gateway of the citadel, opposite the house of Charles V., was inhabited by Napoleon for nearly eight months. There are grand sea-views from the ramparts. The town consists of tall, dingy houses, and narrow, steep, and in most cases dirty streets. The promenade of Bonifacio is the small covered terrace before the church of Santa Maria. Here also is the public cistern.

Of the numerous caves which pierce the base of the rock of Bonifacio, the most remarkable one enters from the sea, 214 feet below the Place d'Armes, and extends to an unknown distance. It contains a freshwater lake, which rises and falls with the tide. A staircase with a vaulted roof and consisting of 337 steps leads down to this lake. The water is brought up to the surface by a force pump, is perfectly transparent, with a slight calcareous taste. In the high town there are 39 private and one public cistern, in which the rain water from the roofs is stored up. The low town has a well supplied from a stream by an aqueduct. The afternoon is the best time to visit the caves. A boat for one or party should not cost more than 5 frs. The finest, the Dragonetta, cannot be visited when the sea is rough.

On Monte Pertusato (the south extremity of Corsica), 2 miles S.E. from Bonifacio, is a lighthouse of the first order, 325 feet above the sea.

The southern promontory is pierced by a cavern hung with stalact.i.tes.

Bonifacio to Bastia.

103 miles; diligence to Ghisonaccia, 50 m. N., the rest by rail.

miles from BONIFACIO miles to BASTIA

{ }{103} BONIFACIO. The diligence, after pa.s.sing the Col Finocchio, 354 feet, 2 miles N. from Bonifacio, the Maison Francola, 7 miles, the bridge across the Stabiacco, 16 miles, and the Col Mattonara, 17 miles (whence the Route Forestiere, No. 11, ascends 14 miles west into the forest of the Ospedale), arrives in 3 hours at

[Headnote: PORTO-VECCHIO.]

{27}{76} PORTO-VECCHIO, pop. 2740. Hotel Amis. Surrounded by its old walls, and at the head of a beautiful gulf. The surrounding country is fertile, but unhealthy during the hot weather, on account of the miasma rising from the mora.s.ses and lagoons. To the N. of Porto, the mountains still approach near to the sea; but beyond Solenzara (where the diligence halts) 41 miles from Bonifacio, they recede and leave free those great undulating plains which characterise the eastern coast of Corsica--plains almost uninhabited and covered with heaths. From the north side of the Travo commences a series of large lakes swarming with fish and a kind of c.o.c.kle. They are separated from the sea by long narrow sandbanks, like earthen break-waters. The malaria prevails from June to October, but even then only the night should be avoided in travelling along this coast. The road after pa.s.sing by the hamlet of Favona, 33 m., arrives at

[Headnote: SOLENZARA.]

{45}{58} SOLENZARA. Whence a wheel road extends westwards into the forest of Bavella by the Col Bavella 18 m. S.W., and the Col Scalella, 22 m., 2982 ft. to Zonza, 24 m. from Solenzara; 4 m. farther is the village of S. Gavino di Carbini, 2292 ft., and other 2 m. the village of Levie; 30 m. S.W. from Solenzara, and 10 from Propriano is S. Lucia de Tallano, on the highroad to Aullene (see p. 27), and for continuation of this road to Propriano see p. 26.